Centrifugal separator.



E. KPKB.

GENTRIFUGAL SEPARATOR.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 8, 1911. 1,1 19,173. Patented Dec.1,1914.

l z l `ATTORNEY UNITED STA'ES E rica..

ERNST KPKE, OF HONOLULU, TERRITORY 0F HAWAII, ASSIGNOR TO KOPKE CLARIEIER COMPANY, LIMITED, `HAWAII.

To all lwhom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ERNST KPK'E, a citizen of the United States, residing at Honolulu, county of Honolulu, Territory of Hawaii, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Centrifugal Separators; and 1 dov hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the iiiveiition, such as will enable otheis skilled in the art to which it appertains to makeand use the same.

This invention relates to centrifugal inachines for clarifying solutions.

The object of the present invention i s to provide means whereby the i'ine particles suspended in the iiuid may be more perof fluid passing through the machine procentrifugal machine,

fectly separated therefrom prior to the discharge of the fluid from the rotating separator. v l y In the process of clarifying liquids in a Y it often happens that mechanical impurities in minute particles which have nearly the same specific gravity as the liquid, are carried oif in the discharge. he current caused by the constant stream duces a disturbing force which prevents the quick separation of these particles from the liquid. If -there were no current, the particlcs would be thrown either to the inner or to the outer surface of the liquid according as their specific gravity is less or is reater respectively than that of the liquid. This disturbing force of the current is inversely proportional to the area of the discharging stream.

The invention contemplates the introduction of an intervening screen to create a zone of comparatively quiet liquid back of the screen and just before thedischarge of the fluid. This screen rated plate, wire netting, cloth or other suitable materials, the size of the screen as well as the degree of its porosity being chosen such that an even passage of the fluid may be effected as nearly as possible through' the entire screen. By the introduction of such an intervening screen, the finely divided particles in this zone are readily affected by the centrifugal force, and are therefore much more easily separated than heretofore where the discharging stream is of a higher velocity and not diffused. When these particles are lighter than the fluid they may pass on with the Huid unless the screen- 'Specication of Letters Patent.

Application filed December 8, 1911.

may consist of perfol A coRPoRATIoN or THE TERRITORY or .CENTRIEUGAL sEPARAToR. I

Patented Dec. 1, 1914. Serial No. 664,593.

is sufficiently ine 4to prevent their passage, in which case the screen becomes a strainer or lter. In my experiments I have not found a deposit on the intake side of the s creen, but there may be cases Where this is likely to take place. Such a deposit would tend to prevent the passage of the Huid through the screen. The direction of the flow of the fluid through the screen is preferably opposite to the direction of the centrifugal force, and such a deposit on the intake side of the screen could'be removed by stopping the How of liquid into the centrifugal and introducing clean water on the discharge side of the screen thereby removing the deposit and cleaning the screen. The dislo ged impurities being lighter than the fluid escape from to a position under the skimming ring and are there .held until discharged. i

niyinvention may be carried out in a great variety of ways, I do not Wish to coniine myself to any specific construction, and for this reason only a Afew of the simpler forms of the invention are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which:

Figure l represents in sectional elevation a portion of a centrifugal separator, with the screen depending vertically from the iiiturned iange at the top of the imperforate wall of the separator, and a horizontal skimming or deflecting ring att'ached to the lower edge of said screen. Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1, with an inclined or funnel shaped skimming or deflecting plate instead of the horizontal ring. Fig. 3 illustrates a funnel shaped combined screen and delecting plate. Fig. 4 represents tached to the wall of the separator. Fig. 5 illustrates the screen and the skimmin or deilecting plate applied above the top cfg the centrifugal separator.

Referring to the drawings, l represents a portion of the rotable imperforate cylindrical drum of the'separator, provided at its upper edge with an inturned flange 2. A short cylindrical ring 3, of perforated plate, Wire mesh material or the like, and smaller in diameter than the drum 1, is attached to' the flange 2, Figs. 1 and 2. Cloth` wire netting, or other medium 4, may either be attached to the ring 3 or simply be held iiiside of said ring by centrifugal force. In

Fig 1 an annular Plate 5 is secured to the i a horizontal screen at fluid and cansino' sai-11e to flow I for the passage of lower edge of the ring 3, in a practically horizontal position, for deecting the rising outside of and then through the perforations in the ring 3 and through the medium 4, which form the intervening screen, before being discharged over the edge of the flange 2.

In Fig. 2, the skimming or deflecting plate 6 is inclined-to the horizontal, and is the rustum of a hollow cone or funnel shaped, with its upper rim 7 attached to the underside of the flange .2 between the ring 3 and the drum 1. This plate 6 isl joined to the lower' edge of the ring 3 near the middle of said plate, as shown. A series of holes 8 are provided in the plate 6 near its upper rim 7 the fluid to and then If desired, of course the upper rim 7 of this plate 6 could be cut away in lieu of the holes .8. When the inturned flange 2 is wide, holes 9 may be made in same just inside of the screen, as shown. The plates 5 and 6 vprevent the fluid from rising inside of the screen. A

In Fig. 3, thescreen 1U is funnel shaped and is secured below the flange 2. Its lower v)ortion 11 is made imperforate and has the same function as the plate 5 shown in Fig. 1.

In Fig. 4, the screen 12 is horizontal and is attached to the wall of the drum 1. If

through the screen.

' desired, the annular inner portion 13 may be made imperforate, as shown.

In Fig. 5, the ring 3 is secured upon the top of the flange 2, and a funnel shaped deflecting plate 14 is provided outside of the ring 3, as shown. Holes 15 are made in the flange 2 between the lower edges of the plate 14 and the ring 3 respectively. In this case, the fluid in rising passes through the holes 15 and is deflected by the plate 14 and then through the perforationsin the ring through the medium 4 and is discharged over the top of this screen.

I claim:

1. A centrifugal separator having a rotor providing a cylindrical unobstructed stratifying chamber from which material is discharged axially, and means for preventing passes the disturbance of the established strata by body of fluid which has previously attainedv substantially the angular velocity of the centrifugal apparatus, and means for preventing the disturbance of the established strata by cross currents converging to ythe dislcharge opening, comprising a screen-like partition within the rotor in the path of the outflow therefrom and adiacent the discharge opening, whereby the discharge is broken up into a multitude of small streams and spread over considerable area.

In testimony whereof I afliX my signature,v

in presence of two witnesses.

ERNST KPKE.

Witnesses:

FRANK L. JAMES, THos. D. W. GRAY. 

